Missing
by dragondefender
Summary: It's the day before Aly leaves with the Balitangs (before TQ), and Aly has finally gotten a chance to go ouside. Suddenly, Nawat comes with news of Tortall and the war, and what Aly hears will change her life... CC appriciated. Characters belong to Tammy.
1. The Letter

The sky was turning a dim shade of pink and orange when Aly finally got outside again. After the long winter snow's build-up, no one had been able to leave the palace until late spring. And still, Aly had had to finish training her spies and sending them on their way. They were going to leave tomorrow for the week-long voyage to Rajmuat, and she still hadn't seen Kyprioth. Come here you old goon. She complained to herself. It didn't really matter whether or not he came, but it would certainly be helpful to talk to him.  
Aly shrugged off her distress and walked to the stables. Her own horse had been taken to prepare with the rest of the ship, so instead she chose a roan mare with a tan main, tail, and stockings named Angel. Aly untied the horse and led her outside, not bothering to saddle her. Since her year of being on Lombyn, Aly had become a master at riding bareback.  
She kicked Angel into a trot and started up a nearby hill. She knew the lands around Tanair almost as well as some of the people who'd lived there all their lives after working as the Balitangs' goat herder.  
As she reached the top, Aly turned to stare at the sky. It was turning purple, implying that night was almost here. Aly figured she only had a few minutes before she had to go back, but it didn't matter.  
From behind her, a twig cracked. Aly veered around to see who it was, then smiled. Her crow-man friend Nawat stood behind her. "Hello," He said, a grin on his face, but his voice revealed that something was wrong.  
"What's wrong, Nawat?" Aly asked. The crow-man wing-shrugged, shaking his head. "The crows say someone is coming, another Laurin. They say she's looking for you, claims to be sent by some lady named Respa...?"  
"Rispah? What's wrong with Aunt Rispah?" Again, Nawat wing-shrugged. "Her messenger is coming. She should be here soon." Aly nodded. "You might want to go meet her. It would be the safest way to; getting all your friends involved will just make it more confusing."  
"Good idea." Aly remounted her horse. "Where is she coming from?" Nawat pointed south-east, towards Kellaura Pass.  
"She was spotted over there this morning, riding pretty fast."  
"Thanks Nawat." He nodded, then turned around and jumped into a tree.  
  
"Just tell a crow if you need my help," The bird-man said, and then vanished into the nearby trees. Aly nodded, turned her mare towards where he had pointed.  
  
The sun had just finished setting when Aly came upon another traveler on the road. Turning her usual vision to the magical sight she picked out the traveler's features. She had light brown hair, blue eyes, and a good figure. Aly recognized the lady to be Hilary, one of her aunt's good friends. Aly pulled Angel to a stop, and then waved her hand to Hilary. "Are you the messenger I heard of, the one that asks for 'Aly'?" The woman turned and nodded. "Hilary, what is it you have to give me?" "Alianne-," The woman mumbled, out of breath. "Aly. My name is 'Aly'." "Yes, Aly. I have this to give you." She held out her hand, an envelope inside. "It is from Rispah and Coram, requesting your immediate attention." Hilary turned her horse around and galloped away before Aly had much of a chance to speak. Slowly, Aly turned Angel back towards the castle. It would take an hour or so to get back, but she would be stupid to open the letter here. Besides, it was most likely written in code that could take a long time to decipher.  
  
When she finally got back to Tanair castle, groomed the horse, and ate a late supper, it was well past midnight. Good thing I packed everything before leaving the castle. She thought to herself as she opened the envelope in the flickering light of her fire. Over the long winter, her rooms had been transferred to a warmer area upstairs, closer to Winnamine's and Dove's. After opening the letter and seeing that the code was one she could translate with ease, Aly fixed her senses to make sure no one was spying on her. Then, in a voice as quite as a whisper, she read the letter aloud:  
  
Dear Aly,  
How I have wished to speak to ye these past weeks, but now is not the time to catch ye up in Trebond's busywork. I'se be sending this to you because something terrible has happened. During a surprise attack on Mastiff, the bloody Scanrans got the upper hand, and seemed to have kidnapped some people. Now, although they have not sent ransom notes, we can safely say they have them. Among these people are Sir Raoul of Goldenlake, Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan, and (the reason I am writing this to ye) yer mother. It seems that his majesty is so worried now about making those Scanran thugs mad with another attack and getting those captives killed that he has even ordered your father to return all but his best spies, and even limit those. Of course, George is not the kind of man to listen to authorities, and is currently organizing a search party. Still, I ask that, if you could possibly find a way to help, please do so, even if it is only a prayer to the Goddess that yer mother's guards be lessoned. I just thought you should know.  
Regretfully,  
Coram Smythesson  
  
The full impact of his words didn't hit Aly until she heard the bell- tower chime two in the morning. Slowly, she rose to her feet, squinting tears out of her eyes. Aly grabbed an old flower sack and stuffed the remains of her dinner, a few pieces of gold, and a change of clothes into it.  
Turning, she threw the letter into the dying flames, and before she could watch it burn, she wheeled out of her room, determination set clearly on her face. 


	2. Pressing On

Thank you sooo much for the reviews. Dancing Amethyst, I tried to do what you suggested. I don't know how well it turned out, though. Sorry for any extra spelling/grammar mistakes I may have missed.  
  
The attack rained on. Arrows were flying in random directions, and gore could not be avoided, no matter which way she looked. Luckily, being a knight had taught Alanna to ignore any blood during the fight. As she tripped down the flight of stairs to the ground level of Mastiff, something caught her eye. Ducking in and out of the fighting, she ran for a hole, about three feet high and two feet wide, which resided in the side wall. Could that be how the Scanrans had gotten in? Still, it would be too small for many of them to come through...  
"Lady Knight, behind you!" Alanna turned, sword in hand, just in time to side-step out of a Scanran's ax's blade. Cursing her stupidity, Alanna bit her lip and dodged in, her sword biting the man's side. He fumbled clumsily around, preparing another attack. Alanna brought her sword up, but before she attacked, the man groaned in agony and fell, dead, onto the ground.  
Behind him stood a tall brunette, smiling grimly. Alanna muttered a thanks, and the girl smiled back. "We lady knights have to watch each other's backs, you know." Alanna nodded to Keladry, sheathed her sword, and smiled.  
"How true... Keladry, have you seen Raoul, I've been looking for him, but he's nowhere to be seen." Alanna had to yell to be heard above the ruckus of the battle around them. Keladry turned to a door near them, opened it, and motioned for Alanna to follow her inside. She followed quickly. "We can't stay here long, though, there's a battle going on and we should be in it." Alanna pointed out reasonably.  
"I know, but I couldn't hear myself think out there." She sunk into a wooden chair next to a table used for map layouts, trying to catch her breath.  
"I need to find Raoul. The troop that's supposed to report to him can't find him, and I can't keep telling them what to do. I'm a fighter, not a tactician." Alanna bit her lip, hoping Keladry would know where to find him.  
"Actually, I saw him not long ago, but in this chaos, it's hard enough to keep your eyes on your own attacker, let alone someone twenty yards away from you. If you want, you can have them report to me. I've been here for longer than you have, so I might know this place better..."  
"Aren't you supposed to be at New Hope?" Alanna suddenly enquired. Keladry nodded, but Alanna couldn't read her emotionless face. "Why aren't you?"  
Keladry sighed. "I was called here to help with the fort, just for a few days... what is that smell?" Alanna sneezed. The air was turning crisp, smelling burnt and ashy. Alanna raised her hand to her neck, gripping the Ember stone tightly. The air around her turned a faint shade of sea blue.  
Alanna blinked, finding it harder and harder to open her eyes. "Mages sleeping gas..." She muttered, collapsing. Alanna was barely aware enough to hear when Keladry's head hit the tactician desk she was sitting next to.  
  
Alianne picked up speed. The horse she was riding was fast, but not as fast as Aly would have liked. The longer she stayed here, the longer her mother was in trouble. Grinding her teeth, she kicked the already-galloping horse faster. "Sorry Sugar," She whispered to the horse, calling her by the name Dove had always used. "I'm not trying to be mean, really I'm not." Aly could barely convince herself of that. For some reason, trying to go rescue her mother felt like trying to play hero. Shrugging, she let the horse gallop on.  
Aly found herself half asleep on the horse's back when the sun started to peak over the hills in front of her. Sugar was only at a trotting pace, but was thoroughly exhausted. Looking around to see where she was, Aly realized that she was utterly lost, and no where near her destination. Slowly, she even grasped the fact that she didn't know where her destination was. Shaking her head in disapproval of herself, Aly turned her needs to a higher force, calling the Trickster in all the cruel ways she thought possible. Finally, she decided to hit him where it hurt.  
"I'll leave right now and never speak to anyone of the Balitangs again if you don't show yourself to me this instant!" A lady walking across the street not far away turned to stare at her, and then took off without another glance back, most likely thinking she was insane.  
As Aly turned back to where she had been watching before, she was almost surprised to see Kyprioth standing there in his usual form. "What is it now?" He said, playing with his nails.  
"Take me to Tortall," It seemed like a large request of a god, but what other way could she put it. The Trickster suddenly looked up, lost in shock. "You heard what I said, take me to Tortall. You're a god; you can do so with the snap of a finger."  
Kyprioth muttered himself before replying. Finally, he smiled, supposedly coming up with the perfect answer. "Why?" Aly almost screamed at him. He was acting like some crazy jester about something that didn't matter a crow's feather.  
"'Why'? You want to know why? I have to go help my mother, and I need your help to do so. Shouldn't you feel powerful, being begged for favors by your little mortal friend?" Aly took a deep breath, recapturing her temper. "All you have to do is send me to Trebond. It shouldn't be that hard."  
"Your mother is none of my concerns. If you want her to be safe, go beg my sister. Let her take care of your mother." The scorn in his voice was almost unbearable, and after all that had happened that night, along with not getting any sleep, it was too much. Aly lost control of herself. Her nose felt like it was on fire, and the ocean swirled in her ears. Aly turned her face away before the god could see her crying, but it was no use.  
Kyprioth rolled his eyes. "Don't cry on me, Aly. C'mon. Stop." He sounded like a child refusing to clean his room, causing her to only get madder. "Aly..."  
"Take me home. Grant my father's boon and take me home." In her mind, Aly was already planning how to convince her father to let her go up north, to find her mother. "If you won't help me, then I have absolutely no reason to help you." She folded her arms across her chest and stuck her chin in the air.  
"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Kyprioth asked himself wearily. Aly tried to keep herself from smiling. "I'll send you to this Trebond, but only if you promise, promise to come back as soon as you've helped your mother." Aly let out a squeal of joy, and then jumped up and gave Kyprioth a hug. He rested his arms behind her, and for a second, Aly felt that everything would be okay: The war with Scanra would end, she would fulfill her job in the Copper Isles and return home, and her family would be reunited once again.  
"Thank you." She whispered.  
"Just hurry back, my human puppet." He smiled, backed away from her, and put his hands on her shoulder, like a parent trying to get their child to listen to them. "And remember, I want you back in one piece. Not just one leg or arm will due." Aly nodded, laughing. Her eyes seemed to clear up instantly. "Now close your eyes," Kyprioth ordered; Aly obeyed without a second thought. A searing heat touched her forehead, and the air seemed to swirl around her and remain still at the same time. Before Aly could even open her eyes, she knew by the cool air that she was in the place her mother used to call home.  
  
Okay.. umm... can anyone tell me how to get html to work? That would just be wonderful. I shall try to update again soon, unless, of course, everyone hates my ideas and then I will go to my friends and ask for writing advice. I do really want to become better. 


	3. Openning Her Eyes

Umm... let's see. Marble51, TQ is not out yet, but Tammy put an excerpt up on her site. Go to and it should have a link. Anyway, thanks for the reviews.  
  
Opening her eyes, Aly saw that the ground was muddy from melting snow and the sky was covered in clouds. Turning, she saw a small castle just over a hill. Sighing and thanking Kyprioth, she headed towards it.  
  
As she came within one hundred yards of it, a man with shaggy blonde hair rode out to meat her. His horse was a light brown color, and wore battle armor. "What business do you have in Trebond, young lady?" He asked, squinting his eyes to see her better. Apparently, he didn't have the best of vision.  
  
"I'm just passing through, although I would like to speak to the baron, if I may," Aly found a hard time trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice: it was so amusing being where her mother had first started her journey.  
  
"I guess...," He stammered, then straightened and tried to glare at her, although Aly thought it looked more like a pig snorting. "Do you have a name?"  
  
Aly thought for a moment. If she told him her real name, she might get more respect, but news travels quickly, and she didn't know what spies might be here. "My name... Caroline." Thinking of the clothes she had on, Aly decided to complete her story. "I'm a traveling actress, and I was on my way to Steadfast with my group. We're plannin' to put on a pe'formance, there. I just was worried and wanted to know how the war was goin', see, I've been trying to stay out of people's way, these past days." She smiled loosely, hoping the guard wouldn't notice her sudden change in speech.  
  
"Well, ma'am, why don't I take you down to the castle myself?" Aly nodded and followed him down the cliff, the whole time trying to keep from rolling her eyes.  
  
When Alanna awoke, she found herself blindfolded and her hands tied behind her back. Cursing, she tried to stand, but someone hit her down again. Muttering, she tried again. She fell back once again, and heard people chuckling at her.  
  
"Look, Marc, the little Lioness wants to play with you. Maybe you should give 'er a ball o' yarn." The voice was male, uneducated, and brought on other's laughter. Footsteps went away from here and metal snapped shut.  
  
"How about you just give me a sword, instead?" Alanna asked after checking that her sword was missing. "I'll take on any one of you, or, perhaps if you're scared, all of you at the same time. How does that sound?" Alanna smiled smugly, or at least she tried. She could already feel the magic barrier on her hands, and she knew for sure it would only hurt her to test its strength.  
  
Something moved next to her. Alanna turned her head towards the sound. A muttering of curses gave her an idea who it was. "Raoul?" She asked slowly. "Is that you?" The big man moaned again.  
  
"You think they could at least have thrown us in on some pillows," His voice was cracked and dry. Alanna sighed, leaning her head back against the cold pillar behind her.  
  
"My favorite idea is that the war never began," She mumbled to herself, losing more hope than she planned to. Trying to gain it back, she turned towards the laughing drunks who were supposed to be guarding her. "Would you mind taking off my blindfold?" She asked in her most fake-pleasant voice. "Only my blindfold, that's all. I'm not asking to be released. I'm not that stupid."  
  
A chair screeched on wooden floor, and footsteps came closer to her. There was a jingling of keys, the creaking of a door, and then... Alanna could see. She was in a metal cage in a small, smoke filled room. Four men sat at a table, playing cards and drinking.  
  
By the time her eyes adjusted completely to the dim room, the man who had freed her had locked the door back up and sat down once again. "Thank you," She said, putting as much venom in her voice as she possibly could.  
  
The man turned to look at her. His smile was missing teeth and the ones that remained were cracked and yellow. "Purty eyes she's got, aye Capt'n?" The man sitting farthest from her nodded. He has a big build, but Alanna couldn't tell his anything of his arms because he was half in shadow.  
  
Alanna turned to see Raoul's condition. He was scratched up roughly, with bruises and such, but otherwise fine. It was at that moment that she saw a figure –still asleep- behind his. Manipulating her chains, she wriggled to see who it was. It was a tall girl with short brown hair- Keladry of Mindelan! The memory of everything that happened before she fainted came to her.  
  
Swallowing, Alanna grinded her teeth. This was going to prove to be quite the difficult task.  
  
Aly followed the guard threw the winding corridors of the castle, her mind ticking anxiously as the time passed. She had to talk to Corum and Rispah soon; precious time was being wasted while the guard rambled on about the history of the tapestries on the wall. The only one that even caught Aly's attention was of the late Lord Alan's Lady: her grandmother. Watching it was she passed, Aly felt a tremor in her stomach. Deciding then that it was too much of a waste of time to stare at picture, Aly gently persuaded the man to take her straight to the baron.  
  
When she got to the entrance of the throne room, the guard turned to the sentry watching the doorway. "I'll relieve you." He said. The man raised his eyebrow, and then shrugged at stood up.  
  
"Your name and common position will be necessary. And at this time, I will remain in service: at least until his majesty leaves." Aly glanced at him. Did he just imply that King Jonathan was here? Under such a low guard? That would explain why six foot soldiers sat gambling in the room to her left, but the king should have more security, especially during war.  
  
The guard who had escorted her down from the hills replied, "My name is Carl Stounep; I'm a sentry currently on guard duty of the western hills, but my shift ended a few minutes ago, and my partner has word of where I am," The man lightly took Aly's hand and brought her over to the guard.  
  
"I found this girl wandering the fields. Her name's Caroline, and she's a travelin' actress. From what it sounds, she just wishes to speak of the war to his lordship." Aly nodded, smiling wide-eyed as a girl who'd never seen such treasuries would do.  
  
The guard scowled. "I don't think you should be so quick to trust her, Carl. We are in the middle of a war, you know."  
  
"A war that's almost over, might I add. We have that Scanran King running from us like a cat from a dog." He smiled at Aly, and then nodded for her to sit down in a well-cushioned waiting chair.  
  
"Still, you know who's here! And we can only hope that ape Muggar doesn't. Think about that next time you go flirting with wenches-," The guard stopped, looking towards the door. There were screams, but not of war: of anger. A few of the guards that had been gambling came out to see what was going on.  
  
"You act as though you don't care of your champion!" Aly knew the voice was Coram's, even though she had only met him a few times before. Sharpening her Sight, Aly heard Rispah shushing him.  
  
"And I suppose you do!" Aly almost froze. It _was_ the king. "Oh, but it doesn't matter if you can't spare any guards, only if I can't-," Coram interrupted Jonathan.  
  
"You're the KING! Use your godly powers and make all our little problems disappear." Aly could here his feet pacing back and forth, and swords being drawn by Jonathan's guards, preparing for an attack. Quieter, he said in a tone that made even Aly cringe. "You certainly were able to do that in the desert."  
  
For a moment the king was speechless. "That was over twenty-five years ago- ," Again Coram's angry interrupted him.  
  
"And you still haven't changed." Rispah gasped. Aly suspected that she was on the verge of tears. "I bet you still love her, don't you?"  
  
At that, Aly realized this fight wasn't going to end without help. She rose, breathing deeply. What she was about to do could get her killed. She walked towards the door. Both the guard that had ushered her around the castle and the sentry on guard duty here turned to her, but it was the first who spoke. "What do you think you're doing?"  
  
Aly turned towards him, trying to open the door behind her, but it was locked. Faking a smile, she pulled out a lock pick. Sticking it in the hole, she heard a click, and then the creaking of the un-oiled hinges moving just a bit. "You can't go in there!" Her escort yelled at her, reaching out but still not trying to make too much of an effort. He hadn't heard the door creak.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Aly pushed the door open and twirled in towards the fight, leaving her head watching them for just long enough to reply. "Watch me."  
  
Does that count as a cliffhanger? Hmm... Well, umm... thanks for reading it. I'll try to update again soon. Please review. Oh! Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes that I missed. 


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